Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to inter-device communications, and more specifically to techniques for using interactive devices to present cues to suggest the presence of imaginary elements in an immersive play.
Description of the Related Art
Many approaches exist for delivering a play experience to a user. For instance, video games engage participants using interactive game play using a video game console, a hand-held controller, and a display (e.g., a television, a monitor on the video game system, etc.). A participant interacts with the controller to send commands to the video game system to control a video game or other simulation. However, while video games allow participants to interact directly with the video game system, such interactions are often limited to the graphical depiction shown on the display and rarely influence any other objects outside of the world provided by the video game.
An immersive playtime environment addresses such limitations by simulating a play experience in a physical environment (e.g., a living room, a car, a city park) using a combination of devices, such as a controller device, wearable sensors, etc. The devices are used to engage the user in a variety of ways. For example, a controller device could detect that a user has performed a particular action, such as firing a toy laser gun at a toy object and, in response, cause other devices in the environment (e.g., such as the toy object) to perform audiovisual effects, creating a feeling of sensory immersion for the user, thus providing an enhanced sense of realism.